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The New Men in Black Doesn’t Have Will Smith, but Aladdin Does

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No, that’s not a mistake. We’ve been given a peek into two new movies this week, and I’m giving one of them a major side eye.

First we got a peek at Will Smith as the Genie, and honestly, I don’t hate it. It’s getting a fair bit of criticism, but I do really think this can be a good move. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Guy Ritchie explained how much of a challenge he faced when deciding who would play the Genie, because of Robin Williams’ iconic performance in the 1992 animated Disney film. He considered how Williams made the Genie so memorable by just injecting his own flair.

“The great thing about the role of the Genie is that it’s essentially a hyperbole for who that individual actor is, so it’s a wonderful platform and tapestry for an actor to fill his boots on,” Said Ritchie.

So when thinking of an actor who could overplay a version of himself, Will Smith seemed a natural choice. Smith himself said “I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different. Just the flavor of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete.”

I like this. I like Will Smith (even when he’s in some real clunkers like Bright). I like that it’s a well thought out choice and if done well, Smith can really deliver something iconic in his own way. If he can stick with hyperbole and avoid caricature, I think it can really work.

Honestly, as long as it’s not Wild Wild West, I’ll probably be pleased.

Now in comes Men in Black International. This I am significantly less optimistic about. Watch the trailer here if you haven’t seen it already.

It’s definitely got some positive elements – Emma Thompson for one, looks incredible. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson have good chemistry, as we saw in Thor: Ragnarok. Liam Neeson is always a treat. Some of the aliens are returning from the original series, and the new aliens look absolutely charming.

Image result for new men in black

My biggest concern is that for a movie spin off of a franchise made successful by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, those two are conspicuously absent from the roster. I’m not saying it can’t work, I’m just saying I have my doubts.

Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of faith in Chris Hemsworth’s ability to improve on a reboot either, as made painfully obvious in the 2016 re-imagining of the Ghostbusters franchise.

I’m also wary of the CGI elements, because I’m seeing roughly 200% more flying vehicles than I’m comfortable with. Of course a movie about aliens will require some CGI, but the original film franchise leaned heavily on practical effects as well, which I’m just not seeing in this trailer. Overly fake looking movies typically have a short trip into the reject pile and for good reason.

It’s obvious that this is hoped to be the first of several new Men in Black Movies, so let’s hope that this spin off franchise stacks up to the original.

All in all, I’m feeling a lot more optimistic about movies with Will Smith in them than those without. This may not only be a direct testament to Smith himself, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

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Kayla Milam is a Comedy and Nerd Freelance writer. Her specialties include playing video games, eating all her kid's Halloween candy, and killing house plants. She lives in California with her husband, 3-year-old son, dog, and pet praying mantis. Check out her blog at Goodlordthatsfunny.com.

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Nicole

First,
I would argue that Chris was the best part of the Ghostbusters reboot.
Second,
This new MIB has the benefit of being inclusive to London and, to an degree, a more global fan base. We can see the over seas success of Multiple movies that do terrible in the US. The Rock himself is responsible for half of that market alone!

Disney

The Little Mermaid | Official Trailer

A young mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch, to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress a prince.

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Genre:

Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Release Date:

May 26, 2023

Director:

Rob Marshall

Cast:

Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy

Plot Summary:

A young mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch, to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress a prince.

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Disney

‘Haunted Mansion’ Teaser Trailer Materializes

Home is where the Haunt is. Watch the brand-new teaser trailer for Haunted Mansion, appearing only in Theatres July 28

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Look alive, foolish mortals! Walt Disney Studios is dying to share the teaser trailer for the comically creepy adventure Haunted Mansion, appearing in theatres on July 28, 2023.

Watch Disney’s Haunted Mansion teaser trailer below, which is loaded with familiar faces – both spirits from the dark ride attraction and fan-favourite Hollywood superstars! There were plenty of spooktacular nods to the iconic and beloved attraction. If you’ve ridden on “Haunted Mansion” at the Disney Parks then you’ll know what to expect as throughout we see mysteriously stretching portraits, ghosts haunting, and some recognisable characters such as the Hatbox ghost, Constance Hatchaway, and Madam Leota played by Jamie Lee Curtis.

The presence of the supernatural world would probably take you by surprise as we see an unsuspecting family move into the Mansion believing it to be a lovely new home, however, Rosario Dawson’s character Gabbie soon learns that a vanilla-scented candle still won’t chase the creepiness away!

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Justin Simien, “Haunted Mansion” features an all-star ensemble cast that includes LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon, and Dan Levy, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost.

Director Simien said in a statement shared with Coastal House Media, “As a lifelong fan of the Haunted Mansion attraction, I’m beyond excited to share the teaser trailer for our new film adaptation featuring an incredible cast,” Simien says. “Our team has worked tirelessly to create a scary, funny and cinematic otherworldly adventure for both new and die-hard fans to enjoy! I can’t wait for audiences to experience this big screen version of the iconic Disney attraction.”

Inspired by the classic theme park attraction, a doctor (Dawson) and her 9-year-old son (Chase Dillon), looking to start a new life, move into a strangely affordable mansion in New Orleans, only to discover that the place is much more than they bargained for. Desperate for help, they contact a priest (Wilson), who, in turn, enlists the aid of a widowed scientist-turned-failed-paranormal expert (Stanfield), a French Quarter psychic (Haddish) and a crotchety historian (DeVito).  this motley crew of so-called spiritual experts are to help rid the family’s home of supernatural squatters.

The film’s producers are Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, with Nick Reynolds and Tom Peitzman serving as executive producers.

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Adventure

Why ‘Return to Oz’ is one of my favorite films now

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I have said it once and I’ll say it again. Nothing could match the sheer brilliance of the 1939 Judy Garland-led film The Wizard of Oz, but there is another film that was flown under the radar that was forgotten by many Oz fans after its release. That film was Return to Oz.

The movie is the unofficial sequel to the 1939 classic film. It follows a young Dorothy Gale six months after she came back from the Land of Oz. She is sent a key by the scarecrow via a shooting star and gets back to the magical land of Oz using a raft on a floating river. She is accompanied by a talking chicken, a metalhead named Tik-Tok, a Gump and Jack Pumpkinhead. 

The gang battles the evil Princess Mombi and her boss the Nome King. They must find the Scarecrow and unfreeze all of the inhabitants of the Emerald City. 

The film bombed at the box-office and only received mixed reviews, but, over the years, it has gained popularity, thanks to the internet and other Oz fans. 

As a child, I have always been fascinated with the idea of a person or a group of people traveling to a distant and fantastical land of wonder and amazement. That’s why I love movies like Alice In Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and The Chronicles of Narnia but this Walter Murch film from 1985 seems to capture my attention whenever I’m on Disney+ trying to kill some time. 

The story is so simple that it takes the journey of the hero and breathes new life into the marvelous land of Oz and the films that inspired it. It has a certain kinship to the nostalgic movies that I previously watched as a child in the 2000s. 

Another reason that I love this film so much is because of the magnificent score by David Shire. His music is so beautifully crafted that it makes one weak in the knees and the heart. Each note is a transformative thrill into Murch’s vision of what L. Frank Baum’s Oz was. The film uses every single strand of filmmaking techniques that the 1939 film originally hosted. 

Since its release, it has been acclaimed as a cult classic and its nostalgic charm is what makes it so likable and watchworthy. 

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